The UMass rowing Lightweight 8+ boat is ranked eighth in the most recent USRowing Collegiate poll. The boat finished last season ranked ninth in the final three polls of the season. For the full USRowing Collegiate Poll, click here.
The Minutewomen will host their lone home race of the season on Saturday morning at 11:30 AM on the Connecticut River.
The Daily Record has a feature story on UMass women's track and field alumn, Nastaran Whitson, who was recentely named the All Daily Records Girls Indoor Track Coach of the Year for her work with Morris Hills High School . During her time at UMass, Whitson competed in the heptathlon as a multi for the Minutewomen.
Whitson was promoted to head coach of the girls team this year and led the squad to the NJSIAA North 1 Group II state sectional title, the second straight for the Scarlet Knights.
The full rosters for the 23rd annual State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships have been announced
UMass' Cerie Mosgrove will be competing against Kelsey Bolte of Iowa State, Brittany Johnson of Ohio State; Tatiyiana McMorris of Marquette, Sam Quigley of DePaul, Jaleesa Ross of Fresno State, Brittney Scott of University of Houston and Courtney Ward of Florida State tonight on ESPN2 at 9 p.m.
The UMass softball team opened up their home schedule in style on Wednesday, sweeping a doubleheader from Dartmouth, 1-0 and 6-2. Sara Plourde and Caroline Raymond combined to hold the Big Green hitless through the first 12 innings of play. Check out the coverage of the two wins below.
This weekend, University of Massachusetts coach Derek Kellogg hopes to be both a fan and a student.
Like almost every Division I head and assistant men's basketball coach, Kellogg is headed to Houston today for the Final Four. In addition to staging the sport's semifinals and championship game, the weekend features meetings, clinics and social gatherings run by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Be the Match, and save a life. That's the mission and the motto of the bone marrow registry.
A steady stream of students signed up to be tissue-typed at the UMass Campus Center in Amherst Wednesday afternoon. They filled out and signed forms and swabbed the inside of their cheeks to become part of the national bone marrow database.
The process is mostly painless. Only about 20% of bone marrow harvest is done the old way, surgically, with a needle in a hip bone. Most bone marrow donations are done in a fashion similar to giving blood platelets.
Rhode Island Match Registry Coordinator Jackie Mcloon said she knows first hand how rewarding it can be, "I was lucky enough to match ten years ago. I actually did the hip one. I would do it again in a minute. I didn't feel it. I was under anesthesia. He was 9. He's now 19. So it was really worth it."
Bone Marrow transplants can save the life of someone with leukemia, other blood cancers, and fatal anemia.
The Umass Football team sponsored the recruitment drive, and several team members volunteered their time throughout the day in shifts.
Check out the UMass Auctions which include a bunch of new items including several throwback basketball jerseys from this past season, modeled after the uniforms of the 1990s. Throwback shorts from the uniforms are also available. Other new items include black jerseys from the mid-2000s and some autographed sneakers from Stephane Lasme and Tony Gaffney.
The UMass football will start its official spring practices on Thursday, March 31 at 8 a.m., at McGuirk Stadium. Check back for an update on Thursday, here on UMassAthletics.com.
Former UMass head coach Bruiser Flint is the subject of an interesting story in the Daily Press of Virginia: Flint reflections. He talks about fellow former UMass head coach John Calipari, whom he succeeded with the Minutemen, as well as current CAA foe VCU. Flint just completed his 10th season as the head coach at Drexel in Philadelphia.
"I've coached in two leagues - the A-10 and the CAA," he said. "Both of those leagues have sent teams to the Final Four. There hasn't been another A-10 team since I left the league, but there's been two teams in the CAA since I've been in the league. I must be the good luck charm."
Jonathan Quick's save which seemed to defy all laws of physics is up to 1.4 million views on YouTube. Here's the video below - be sure to share so we can get it up over 2 million!
Coming strong off of a 2-1 weekend series against George Washington, the Massachusetts baseball team looks to continue its winning trends in Worcester against Holy Cross on Tuesday afternoon.
The Minutemen (6-9, 2-1 Atlantic 10) have a lot of momentum going into the matchup against the Crusaders (10-10-1).
UMass has gone 5-1 in its recent six-game stretch, in which it has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 45-30
Former UMass hockey standout Alex Berry has been named the Norfolk Admirals Man of the Year for his tireless work in the community. He is a candidate for the AHL IOA/American Specialty Man of the Year Award.
Here are various previews as No. 14 UMass men's lacrosse returns to action after a long layoff. The Minutemen travel to Harvard to play the Crimson at Harvard Stadium on Tuesday night at 7 p.m.
Here are a few stories about UMass Hall of Famer John Calipari as he prepares to lead his Kentucky team against UConn in the NCAA Final Four. These stories mention his time at UMass prominently.
After winning at Marist 23-7 last Tuesday and then falling to No. 2 Northwestern 17-7 on Saturday, the UMass women's lacrosse team drops one spot to No. 13 this week in the InsideLacrosse.com/deBeer Media Poll. UMass has now been ranked for five straight weeks - the longest in program history.
A strong offensive outburst led the Massachusetts baseball team to a 2-1 Atlantic 10 series win against George Washington this weekend.
The Minutemen began the season struggling in the runs category, but have been swinging the bat well in their last two road trips. UMass (6-9, 2-1 A-10) picked up an 8-4 win on Friday before splitting its doubleheader on Saturday.
Check out Jeff Goodman's story on UMass Hall of Famer John Calipari after Kentucky beat North Carolina to return to the Final Four. In his story, UMass coach Derek Kellogg is quoted: Coaching clinic.
Here is the piece with Kellogg's comments:
And Calipari has done arguably the most impressive job of his coaching career.
"Unquestionably," said UMass coach Derek Kellogg, who played for and coached under Calipari. "It's been unbelievable to watch some of these guys that never played before like Harrellson, Miller and Liggins almost turn into stars."
Calipari had Marcus Camby the first time he went to the Final Four with UMass in 1996. He had Derrick Rose at Memphis when he lost to Kansas in the national title game in 2008.
This team has talent, but there's no Camby or Rose on this roster.
"Those guys have just come together," Kellogg added. "They do what they need to do to win."
UMass alum Tony Gaffney tallied a season-best 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the Utah Flash in a 108-105 loss at Dakota on Sunday. Check out the highlights (with several Gaffney alley-oops) and stats on NBA.com.
• UMass is ranked 14th in the current USILA Coaches Poll and 16th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. UMass stood at both spots for the second week in a row after not playing last week.
• Harvard is among "others receiving votes" in the USILA Poll and is 20th in the Inside Lacrosse/Media Poll.
• A number of UMass opponents are ranked in the Top 20 in the polls: Hofstra (No. 10 USILA/No. 8 IL), Army (No. 9/No. 9), Ohio State (No. 17/No. 19), Delaware (No. 18/No. 18), Penn State (No. 20/RV), Harvard (RV/No. 20). Also receiving votes are Albany and Drexel.
Paul Dainton made his third AHL start with Springfield on Sunday, but the Falcons fell 4-1 to Binghamton. Dainton earned his first career win on Saturday night at Worcester to snap a 12-game losing streak thanks to 39 saves and an assist from Dainton.
UMass Hall of Famer John Calipari is leading Kentucky to the Final Four. It marks the third school he has taken to the NCAA semifinals including UMass in 1996. Here are some stories mentioning his run with the Minutemen. Yahoo.com story is by UMass alum Dan Wetzel and has quotes from UMass Hall of Famer and former Athletic Director Bob Marcum.
The No. 12 UMass women's lacrosse team dropped a 17-7 decision to No. 2 Northwestern on Saturday night in front of 1,013 fans under the lights of McGuirk Stadium. The Minutewomen fall to 7-2 on the year and will begin Atlantic 10 play this weekend hosting Temple on Friday before heading to La Salle on Sunday. Here are the recaps of Saturday night's loss.
Due to unforeseen technical issues at the Bay Road Tennis Center, the UMass tennis match against Fairfield cannot be shown live on CBS3 Now as originally scheduled. Fans can watch the match live on UMass All-Access through their computers. The match will be shown on a tape-delay basis on CBS3 Now. Check back later for a date and air time.
Following his Kentucky team's 62-60 win over Ohio State, which you can read about in the Lexington Herald Leader, former UMass head coach and current Wildcats leader John Calipari made special mention on UMass legendary coach Jack Leaman and the 1995-96 team at UMass. Here is the question and Calipari's comment from the postgame.
QUESTION: John, the balance you got out of the six players that played so much, offensively and defensively, how does it feel as a coach to get that kind of just straight team effort, it wasn't one guy, it was all six? And how have you built maybe over the course of this year to get to this point when it hasn't always gone perfect?
COACH John Calipari: Well, the one thing about playing less players, they seem to become a better team. Jack Leaman when I was at UMass told me I was playing too many guys. He said, You have to play less people. Play six or seven guys. You will get a good team and my '95 team with Marcus (Camby), Carmelo (Travieso), Edgar (Padilla), Donta (Bright) and Dana (Dingle), we only played six guys that year and we were a pretty good team. What happened is like Terrence, I wanted Terrence early in the game to get Sullinger to go off screens and do stuff and drive Sullinger and that was a mistake. And he is not ready for that and that kind of screwed him up the whole first half. The second half he came back and played. That's growth. Earlier in the year when he played that way to start he could not finish the game. Brandon doesn't make a shot and then he makes that three, and then he makes the last shot of the game after missing all of those shots. That's growth. You're just not afraid to miss.
Steve Levine of the Daily Collegian has a preview of this weekend's softball games at Temple and Saint Joseph's. He points out that the Minutewomen, winners of five out their last seven, have played better as of late, but have areas that need to be improved upon as conference play continues.
Michael Wood of the Daily Collegian has a feature on senior first baseman Audrey Boutin. The story focuses on how the Bristol, Conn. native is a key member to the offense in 2011, and after a slow start, has caught fire as of late, batting .417 with nine RBIs in the last seven games.
The Utah Flash and UMass alum Tony Gaffney topped the Maine Red Claws and fellow alum Stephane Lasme for the second time in a week with a 105-99 overtime win in Orem, Utah last night. Gaffney continues to play at a high level as he posted 14 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks for the Flash. Lasme had two points and five rebounds in 18 minutes.
The highlights have a nice Gaffney dunk Watch here.
Former UMass coach John Calipari will lead his current team the Kentucky Wildcats into action in the NCAA Regional Semifinal tonight in Newark, N.J. There are several stories on Calipari returning to the state where he coached the Minutemen in the 1996 Final Four as well as where he made his NBA coaching debut with the New Jersey Nets. Check out these stories with mentions of UMass.
The Daily Collegian has a recap from the women's lacrosse team's 23-7 win at Marist on Tuesday. The No. 12 Minutewomen will host No. 2 Northwestern on Saturday night (7 PM) under the lights at McGuirk Stadium. Admission is free to all!
Paul Dainton received the surprise start last night turning in a 31-save effort, but it was not enough as the AHL's Springfield Falcons fell 3-2 to the Hartford Whale. The Falcons will be in action again on Saturday when they head to Worcester to face former UMass standouts Matt Irwin, James Marcou and Cory Quirk.
Here are various stories on the Pro Day that was held at Boston College on Wednesday as five former UMass football players took part. They included John Griffin, Kyle Havens, Mike Mele, Anthony Nelson and Greg Niland. The lineman Niland is quoted in many of these stories.
The Daily Collegian has a notebook on the men's lacrosse team: Rushing sidelined, UMass drops in national rankings. Stephen Sellner touches on Greg Rushing being out of the lineup after being diagnosed with mono, the team's stats leaders as well as the squad's latest rankings in the polls.
UMass returns to action next Tuesday, March 29 at Harvard.
ESPNBoston.com has a story on Boston College's Pro Day which includes five UMass players: tailback John Griffin, quarterback Kyle Havens, linebacker Mike Mele, wide receiver Anthony Nelson and lineman Greg Niland. UMass alum Mike Reiss writes about the event including many comments from Niland.
Having starred at Coyle-Cassidy High School in Taunton, Mass., he earned a scholarship to Northeastern University. But after the 2009 season, the program was cut, putting him in a tough spot.
Would he transfer to finish his football career and keep his NFL dreams alive? Or stay at Northeastern to get his degree?
As it turned out, Niland took advantage of a plan that allowed him to transfer to UMass so he could play the 2010 season, before transferring back to Northeastern so he could finish his business administration degree this spring.
Niland measured 6-foot-4 and weighed 304 pounds at pro day, which is a solid physical makeup for an NFL hopeful on the line. He felt he ran well, and to the casual observer, he looked competitive in drills led by Scarnecchia and Giants offensive line coach Pat Flaherty that tested hip flexibility, hip explosion, change of direction and run- and pass-blocking skills.
"Hopefully maybe today will get the attention of some of the scouts, and they can go back to the filmwork and tape, and maybe I can sneak into the later rounds," said Niland, who plans to attend UMass' pro day on Friday. "That would be the best-case scenario. If not, we'll see what happens with the NFL lockout. One way or another, I just want to make a camp."
A player like Niland, who faces longer odds to be drafted, would be hurt by a lockout because NFL teams won't be allowed to sign undrafted players.
With Atlantic 10 Conference play just underway and the home opener on the horizon, the Daily Collegian released its annual Baseball/Softball Issue on Wednesday with extensive coverage of both squads. Check out the links below to all of the softball coverage in today's issue.
SPRINGFIELD - With their home ice covered as NCAA Division II Elite Eight basketball moves into the MassMutual Center, the Springfield Falcons practiced Tuesday at Romeo J. Cyr rink in Forest Park.
Last man to report back to their downtown locker room after the workout?
None other than goaltender Paul Dainton, a University of Massachusetts senior who signed Monday with Springfield's American Hockey League club.
"He didn't want to leave the ice," Falcons coach Rob Riley said. "He just loves to be out there. He stayed and kept at it. He has that kind of work ethic."
The No. 12 UMass women's lacrosse team scored its most goals for a single game in nearly 31 years as the Minutewomen dominated Marist 23-7 on Tuesday afternoon. UMass will host No. 2 Northwestern on Saturday night (7 PM) at McGuirk Stadium.
In a match-up of UMass alums in the D-League, Tony Gaffney and his Utah Flash clinched a postseason berth with a 112-77 win over Stephane Lasme and the Maine Red Claws on Tuesday in Utah.
Gaffney had a superb game with 12 points, and dominated the defensive effort with 11 rebounds, seven blocks and six steals.
Lasme had a team-high 10 rebounds and scored four in 19 minutes for the Claws.
Watch the highlights with plenty of Tony Gaffney dunks: Highlights.
The USA U-21 squad is coached by former UMass player and assistant coach, and current Boston College coach Ainslee Lamb.
Also, new UMass head coach Carla Tagliente is the head coach of the USA U-19 squad. She is assisted by UMass alum and current Duke head coach Pam Bustin. Stay tuned for updates on what the U-19'ers are up to during their training season.
Good luck to Alesha as she represents the Red, White, & Blue!
The No. 12 UMass women's lacrosse team will face Marist this afternoon at 4 PM in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The Minutewomen are looking to bounce back after a 10-8 loss to then No. 15 Albany last Saturday. Marist is the defending MAAC Champion and played in the NCAA Tournament last season falling to Maryland in the first round. The Daily Collegian previews the game.
Paul Dainton signed with the AHL Springfield Falcons on Monday afternoon becoming the second 2011 senior to play professionally following the end of the season for the UMass hockey team. Dainton started all four years at UMass becoming the career leader in saves, minutes played and games played. Chase Langeraap signed with the ECHL South Carolina Stingrays last week.
After a few days with no student-athlete birthdays, we wish Happy Birthday on March 22 to freshman field hockey player Alyssa Ineson and sophomore rower Michaela Streitfield.
Want to represent the University of Massachusetts on a new NESN reality television series? UMass students have the opportunity to compete against students from other universities in academic and intelligence-based challenges on Schooled.
The show will pit students from eight different New England universities -- Massachusetts Amherst, Boston College, Boston University, Connecticut, Maine, Northeastern, Providence and Vermont -- against each other in a battle of brainpower. In each episode of Schooled, two teams of three students from two different colleges will compete in challenges. The winning team at the end of each episode will move forward in a tournament-style bracket, while the defeated team will be eliminated from the competition.
Schooled is looking for UMass freshmen, sophomores and juniors to participate. Here are the casting call dates, times and locations.
Friday, March 25, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Goodell Building, Lounge adjacent to Room 504
The Florida trip for the Massachusetts baseball team did not start off as expected, as the squad dropped four consecutive games over the course of last week heading into last Friday's game against Bucknell.
"We started off the season real slow, not being able to help the pitchers out by scoring enough runs," said senior Matt Gedman. "We've been able to come on now and help our pitchers out, and that's been good for us."
UMass has won its past three games, including its most recent game against University of Maryland-Baltimore County, a 9-5 victory, on Sunday.
With starting pitching giving UMass deep, quality outings to go along with the offensive support at the plate, the squad's record stands at 4-8, as Atlantic 10 play creeps closer
In the March 21 edition of the InsideLacrosse.com/deBeer Media Poll, the UMass women's lacrosse team continued to hold onto a No. 12 national ranking. The Minutewomen will head to Marist tomorrow at 4 PM before hosting No. 2 Northwestern on Saturday (7 PM) under the lights at McGuirk Stadium. Albany, who defeated UMass on Saturday, jumped four spots to No. 11 in the poll.
The UMass men's lacrosse team stands 14th in the USILA Coaches Poll and 16th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. UMass fell four spots in each poll after its 8-7 loss to Penn State on Saturday.
Several UMass foes are ranked in the polls: Hofstra (8th in USILA/6th in Inside Lacrosse), Army (8th/9th), Albany (16th/15th), Harvard (18th/17th), Ohio State (20th/20th). Also receiving votes are Penn State, Drexel, Delaware and Towson.
UMass' two alums in the NBA D-League have been playing well.
Tony Gaffney has scored in double-figures in each of the last five games with the Utah Flash. He had 11 points and 8 rebounds in a Saturday loss to Reno. For the year, Gaffney is averaging 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in 28 games.
With the Maine Red Claws, Stephane Lasme has played in three games and is averaging 5.0 points and 4.3 rebounds. In his last game, a had a season-best nine points and seven rebounds vs. Texas. Lasme rehabbed from a broken foot suffered in the preseason prior to the start of the season in November.
Here are a few previews of the Minutemen's CAA opener vs. Penn State, Saturday at 12 Noon. Check out the views from Penn State with these stories from PSU's Daily Collegian.
The University of Massachusetts women's basketball team may not be playing in the NCAA tournament, but one of its players is headed to the Final Four.
Senior Cerie Mosgrove is one of only eight women's basketball players nationally to be selected to participate in the Women's 3-point Shooting Championship, which will be held March 31 at the University of Houston's Hofheinz Pavillion. She is part of a men's and women's total roster of 24 players who will compete in this year's State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-point championships, which is annually held in the Final Four city of the men's tournament. There are eight women three-point shooters, eight men three-point shooters, and eight dunkers. The event will be televised across the country on ESPN2 from 9 - 11 p.m.
Mosgrove, nicknamed the Sniper, was an astounding 78 for 157 from three-point range this season for a .497 percentage. She currently leads the nation in that category.
The UMass Rowing team is featured as part of Row2K's Team HQ, which previews collegiate squads leading up to the beginning of the season. The Minutewomen will begin their quest for a 14th Atlantic 10 Championship on Saturday with a scrimmage against the Coast Guard Academy. To view Row2K's feature, click here.
Jonathan Quick is scheduled to start in goal for the Kings Thursday against St. Louis at Staples Center -- and that will become a familiar sight as the Kings approach their final dozen regular-season games.
Quick had split starting time with Jonathan Bernier the last few weeks -- each started five of the last 10 games -- but with crunch time coming, Coach Terry Murray said the starts will be more heavily weighted toward Quick.
"It's important to start to put the focus on one goaltender a little bit more now and that's the plan and I'll follow through with that plan if everything works out accordingly," Murray said after Thursday's game-day skate in El Segundo.
"I plan on using Quick more to get him ready. He's been our No. 1 goaltender right from the beginning and that's where I plan to go to.
As a professional athlete and the son of a former Major League Baseball player, one might expect Houston Aeros rookie forward Casey Wellman to also be plying his trade with bats and gloves instead of sticks and pucks.
Wellman's father, Brad, spent much of the 1980s as an infielder in the majors, hanging up his spikes in 1989 when Casey was barely 2 years old.
And while Wellman did give baseball a try in his youth, the speed and excitement of hockey ultimately won him over.
The South Carolina Stingrays and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Cail MacLean announced today that forward Chase Langerapp has signed with the team. In keeping with club policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Langeraap, 23, joins the Stingrays after completing a four-year career with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. While with the Minutemen, the Cayuga, ON native netted 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points in 107 games. Before jumping to the NCAA, Langeraap skated for two seasons in the OPJHL with the Oakville Blades and Milton Icehawks recording 111 points (60g, 51a) in 98 contests.
UMass junior attackman Art Kell was this week's special chat guest on Inside Lacrosse. Kell chatted with lacrosse fans around the world. He is one of three UMass players with 10 goals this season along with seven assists.
Dan Guttonplan of the Newburyport News has a great feature on UMass men's swimmer Dan Backer. The story focuses on Backler's college jounrey - from having his program cut at Rhode Island, to transferring to UMass, to being an Atlantic 10 Champion in multiple events, exceeding the expectations of many.
"He can walk away from the pool, after winning that 100 breast, holding his head high," Head Coach Russ Yarworth said. "I couldn't have predicted he'd swim that fast. It was one of the highlights of my coaching career. It was one of those swims -- I'm getting goose bumps thinking about it."
Two minutes one night, 22 minutes the next. Denver Nuggets rookie Gary Forbes has literally been battling for playing time all year long. Despite not logging the most consistent minutes, the UMass grad has made the most of what time Coach George Karl has given him. Averaging 4.9 points in 12 minutes per game, including eight outbursts of 10 or more points and a career-high 19-point outing against New York earlier this season, Forbes is ready. After a recent practice, we got the chance to hop on the phone with Forbes to talk about life in the Mile-High City after 'Melo, his journey to the NBA and more.
The season ended for the UMass hockey team on Saturday night with a 4-2 loss at No. 2 Boston College in the Hockey East Quarterfinals. The game was the 24th of the season decided by one goal, overtime or an empty-net goal by the opponent out of 35 contests. The loss also brought closure to the careers of seniors Marc Concannon, Paul Dainton, Brian Keane, Doug Kublin, Chase Langeraap, Michael Lecomte, and Shaw Saunders.
• Kentucky (#4 East): Coached by former UMass head coach John Calipari and assisted by former UMass assistant coach John Robic.
• Louisville (#4 Southwest): Coached by UMass 1974 alum Rick Pitino, among the all-time assist leaders in school history.
• Xavier (#6 East): Atlantic 10 rival, beat UMass in Cincinnati back on Jan. 12.
• Temple (#7 West): Long-time rival of UMass in the Atlantic 10, narrowly escaped the Minutemen with an overtime win on March 2.
• Memphis (#12 West): Former school of UMass current head coach Derek Kellogg and
former school of senior center Hashim "Big City" Bailey.
• Richmond (#12 Southwest): Atlantic 10's 2011 Champion, beat UMass in Amherst on Jan. 22.
• Bucknell (#13 West): Head coach Dave Paulsen, who came to the Bison from Williams College, also graduated from Williams in '87, where he went to school with '86 grad Kevin Morris, coach of UMass football.
• Boston University (#16 Southwest): Lost to UMass, 71-54, on Dec. 31 at the Mullins Center.
In the 2011 NIT Bracket, here are the connections to UMass.
• #1 seed Boston College, hosts McNeese State. The Eagles beat UMass at the TD Garden back on Dec. 4 and are the longtime in-state foe of the Minutemen.
• #3 seed Oklahoma State is coached by former UMass coach Travis Ford and will take on Bay State opponent Harvard in the first round. Ford led UMass to the NIT Finals in 2008 before leaving to lead the Cowboys.
• #3 seed Dayton, the defending NIT Champions, knocked UMass out of the 2011 A-10 Tournament with a 78-50 win in Amherst last Tuesday.
In the 2011 CBI, several UMass opponents from 2010-11 will be in action.
• UCF hosts St. Bonaventure in a game between two UMass foes from this season.
• Rhode Island welcomes Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday. UMass beat the Rams twice in 2011.
• Duquesne will play at Montana for a third Atlantic 10 connection.
• Finally, good luck to former "Voice of the Minutemen" Bob Behler and his Boise State Broncos, as they host Austin Peay in the CBI.
The last of the four postseason tournaments is the College Insider Tournament. Two UMass opponents play in this event.
• Quinnipiac plays the first postseason game of 2011, hosting Buffalo on Monday night.
UMass alum Gary Forbes continues to see more action with the hot Denver Nuggets. The 2008 Minuteman product started in a 131-101 win over Detroit on Saturday. He played 21 minutes, tallied 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. For the year, Forbes is averaging 4.9 points and 1.8 rebounds in 53 games this season as an NBA rookie.
Dick Baker of the Springfield Republican led off his college notebook on Saturday with the UMass women's lacrosse team looking to stay unbeaten as the Minutewomen host Stony Brook today at Garber Field (1 PM).
The UMass hockey team fell 4-1 last night at Boston College in the first game of the three-game quarterfinal series. The two teams will re-match tonight at Conte Forum (7 PM). Danny Hobbs scored the lone goal for the Minutemen who started the game with great intensity, but after allowing a goal midway through the first period and 14 seconds into the second period, were not able to recover against the top-seeded Eagles.
The Daily Collegian has this recap of the Minutemen's trip to the Bearkat Invitational last weekend in Huntsville, Texas, and briefly touches on the upcoming spring break trip to Florida.
A look at the team's spring break schedule:
Saturday: vs. Toledo - 9:30 a.m. - Chain of Lakes Park #1 Sunday: vs. Bradley - 5:30 p.m. - Henley Field Monday: vs. Navy - 3:00 p.m. - Chain of Lakes Park Stadium Tuesday: vs. Army - 3:00 p.m. - Chain of Lakes Park Stadium Wednesday: vs. Indiana - 2:00 p.m. - Lake Myrtle Park Main Field Friday: vs. Bucknell - 1:00 p.m. - Lake Myrtle Park Main Field Saturday: vs. Northwestern - 1:30 p.m. - Henley Field Sunday: vs. UMBC - 10:00 a.m. - Lake Myrtle Park Main Field
UMass alum Gary Forbes started and saw extended time in the Nuggets 116-97 win over Phoenix on Thursday. He grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and scored five points in 21 minutes.
Yahoo Sports has a look at some comments from UMass alum Gary Forbes which he has posted on twitter @GForbz3, check it out ... Gary is a little ticklish.
Former all-star defenseman and captain Mike Kostka has been making a name for himself over the last three seasons since departing UMass. After two solid years in with Portland of the AHL, this season he has been one of the top point producing blueliners for the Rochester Americans. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle has a nice feature story on Kostka and his journey.
The Minutemen are currently in Boston and will have their normal pregame skate this morning as they prepare for tonight's opening game of the Hockey East Quarterfinals against No. 2 and top-seeded Boston College at Conte Forum.
The Maine Red Claws announced Thursday that Stephane Lasme, a final camp cut of the Boston Celtics and an affiliated player, and made his 2010-11 regular-season debut Thursday night after recovering from a fractured foot in the team's only preseason game. Expected to be an integral part of the Red Claws' plans this season and an NBA call-up candidate, Lasme, who joined the Red Claws in training camp out of the Boston Celtics camp as one of three Affiliated Players, fractured his foot just 2 minutes into the team's lone preseason game and was not expected to return this season.
In his debut on Thursday, Lasme played 16 minutes and had three points and three rebounds in a 118-105 loss to Erie.
The UMass women's lacrosse team returns to action on Saturday at Garber Field against Stony Brook after a 10-day rest. The Minutewomen jumped to 18th in the insidelacrosse.com/deBeer Media Poll on Monday and earned a No. 20 ranking in the IWLCA coaches poll on Tuesday. Katie Ferris earned her 2nd straight Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honor, while Katie Florence was named the league's Defensive Player of the Week. With all that, the Minutewomen are going for win No. 6 of the year as the Seawolves come to town. The Daily Collegian has the preview of the game along with a sidebar on Ferris.
The UMass hockey team departed for Boston tonight to prepare for the Hockey East Quarterfinal series against the Eagles which starts tomorrow night and runs through Sunday (if necessary). All games will start at 7 PM.
Take a look at the UMass career of Anthony Gurley, who finished with 1,331 points in three seasons. Yahoo sports has this story on the Boston native: Looking Back on Anthony Gurley's UMass Career
Here are a few stories on the end of the men's basketball season. UMass wraps up 2010-11 with a 15-15 record and will not participate in postseason play.
The final Bud Light UMass Basketball Radio Show takes place on Monday night at the Hangar Pub & Grille. Come out at 7 p.m., and join us for the show as head coach Derek Kellogg talks about the A-10 Tournament. Senior All-Atlantic 10 guard Anthony Gurley will be the player guest.
You can listen on 100.9 FM WRNX in Western Mass and 1510 AM The Zone in Eastern Mass.
The UMass women's lacrosse team moved up to 18th in the InsideLacrosse.com/deBeer Media Poll on Monday. UMass played one game last week - an 11-4 win at New Hampshire. The IWLCA coaches poll will be out later today. UMass is one of 13th teams nationally to remain undefeated. The Minutewomen will host Stony Brook this Saturday afternoon at Garber Field.
Former UMass Hockey standout Casey Wellman was recalled to the Minnesota Wild from the Houston Aeros (AHL) on Thursday. Wellman made the most of his opportunity, and scored the eventual game-winning goal on Thursday night in the second period against the New York Rangers.
So far this season, Wellman has a goal and an assist in 14 games played.
Vladimir Ducasse drives around in a Toyota Sequoia he purchased not long after signing a contract with the New York Jets that turned him into a millionaire.
It is the perfect vehicle for Ducasse, who became the highest pick out of the Stamford when he was taken in the second round of last spring's NFL Draft.
Like its owner, the SUV is unassuming, lacks glitz and does not draw attention, though the 6-foot-5, 330-pound offensive lineman tends to get second and third looks when he is in a crowd.
The collegiate careers of Megan Zullo, Cerie Mosgrove and
Stephanie Lawrence came to a close Thursday when the University
of Massachusetts women's basketball
team lost 77-66 to Charlotte in the first round
of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the Tsongas
Center.
"It's pretty weird" that this is the end, said
Mosgrove. "It's a little bittersweet but mostly not ready for it. It's
sad. We wish we could have gone longer, it's been a fun year."
The No. 9 UMass lacrosse team has the lead story on the Lacrosse Magazine website: laxmagazine.com. Read the story by veteran writer Gary Lambrecht: UMass Finds That Wins Come with Health, Balance
The Daily Collegian has two stories on the No. 9 UMass men's lacrosse team as the Minutemen seek a 4-0 start as No. 20 Brown visits Garber Field on Saturday.
The Daily Collegian has a pair of stories on the men's basketball team as the Minutemen enter the final game of the regular-season at Fordham on Saturday, at 1 p.m. The Minutemen need a win to secure the No. 7 seed and home game in the A-10 Tournament.
For University of Massachusetts women's basketball coach Sharon
Dawley, this weekend's Atlantic 10 Tournament represents an opportunity.
"We have a weekend where we have a chance to end on a better note,"
said Dawley, who is wrapping up her first year leading the Minutewomen.
"Let's end on a note that we can look back on when we're running hills
and lifting weights. You always want to look back on a positive memory.
I want the last thing we look back on is playing well in the
tournament."
The No. 12-seeded Minutewomen (7-22, 3-13) play No. 5 Charlotte
(21-8) at 2:30 p.m. Friday at Tsongas Arena in Lowell, which is hosting
the event. Charlotte was one of five teams that finished 9-5 in A-10
play.
Matt Vautour of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, has calculated the scenarios for the A-10 Tournament involving UMass. The Minutemen can still finish anywhere from 7th to 11th place. The Minutemen can secure the No. 7 seed and a home game with a win on Saturday, thus they control their own fate. Here are the breakdowns from GazetteNet.com:
IF THE ATLANTIC 10 TOURNAMENT STARTED TODAY
If the Atlantic 10 Tournament started today, here's how it would look:
* UMass beat St. Bonaventure and Dayton giving the Minutemen the No. 7 seed.
* Dayton beat St. Bonaventure giving the Flyers the No. 8.
* La Salle beat Saint Louis giving the Explorers the No. 10.
* George Washington beat URI giving the Colonials the No. 5
First-round games at home sites: No. 12 Saint Joseph's (3-12) at No. 5. George Washington (9-6) No. 11 Saint Louis (6-9) at No. 6. Rhode Island (9-6) No. 10 La Salle (6-9) at No. 7 UMass (7-8) No. 9 St. Bonaventure (7-8) at No. 8 Dayton (7-8)
Remaining games
*1. Xavier 14-1 - at SLU-- Has clinched first *2. Temple 13-2 - vs. La Salle -- Has clinched second *3. Richmond 12-3 - vs. Duquesne - Has clinched third +4. Duquesne 10-5 - at Richmond - Could finish 4-5 - +5. George Washington 9-6 - vs. Dayton - Could finish 5-6 +6. Rhode Island 9-6 - at SBU - Could finish 4-6 +7. UMass 7-8 - at Fordham - Could finish 7-11 +8. Dayton 7-8 - vs. GW - could finish 7-10
+9. St. Bonaventure 7-8 - vs. URI - Could finish 7-11 +10. La Salle 6-9 - at Temple - could finish 8-11 +11. Saint Louis 6-9 - vs. Xavier could - could finish 8-11 12. Saint Joseph's 3-12 - at Charlotte - could finish 12-13 13. Charlotte 2-13 - vs. St. Joe's - could finish 12-13
^14. Fordham 0-14 - vs. UMass
* Clinched a first round bye + Clinched Tournament berth ^ Incapable of earning a tournament berth
Three-team tie-breakers
If they finish in a three-way tie the order would be: Involving UMass: 1. UMass (2-0), Dayton (1-1), St. Bonaventure (0-2) 3. UMass (2-1), Dayton (1-1), La Salle (1-2) 4. UMass (2-1), St. Bonaventure (1-1), La Salle (1-2) 5. La Salle (2-1), Saint Louis (1-1), UMass (1-2) 6. Saint Louis (2-1), UMass (1-1), Dayton (1-2) 7. Saint Louis (1-1), UMass (1-1), St. Bonaventure (1-1), - SLU get higher seed because it would have had to beat Xavier to be tied.
FOUR TEAM TIE BREAKERS 1. UMass (2-1), Saint Louis (2-2), Dayton (2-2), St. Bonaventure (1-2) 2. UMass (3-1), Dayton (2-1), St. Bonaventure (1-2), La Salle (1-3) 3. St. Bonaventure (2-1), La Salle (2-2), UMass (2-2), Saint Louis (1-2) 4. Saint Louis (2-2), UMass (2-2), Dayton (2-2) La Salle (2-2), - SLU get higher seed because it would have had to beat Xavier to be tied.
FIVE TEAM TIE-BREAKER
1. UMass (3-2), Dayton (3-2), St. Bonaventure (2-2), La Salle (2-3), Saint Louis (2-3)
Four UMass birthdays on March 3, best wishes for a happy day to hockey sophomore Mike Donnellan, freshman swimmer Matt Grippo, sophomore quarterback Jesse Hunt and senior track runner Brian Tino.
UMass basketball battled the three-time defending A-10 Champions, but lost 73-67 in overtime on Wednesday. Still, the Minutemen hold fate in their own hands when it comes to hosting a first-round A-10 Tournament game. A win on Saturday at Fordham OR several other scenarios would result in a home game to start the postseason. Read about the Temple game and the postseason situation here:
The Daily Collegian has a preview of Wednesday's women's lacrosse game at New Hampshire on Wednesday in what is the longest running series for the Minutewomen. Ranked 19th nationally, UMass seeks to remain unbeaten on the season entering the game a perfect 4-0.
In his blog today, MassLive.com's Dick Baker looks at the regular-season finale weekend against Maine at the Mullins Center on Friday and Saturday nights. He also has a nice piece on senior Chase Langeraap who has enjoyed his best (and healthiest) season to date for the Mintuemen.
Nick Bellofatto of the Daily Collegian has a story on the UMass Swimming & Diving teams' performances at the A-10 Championships this past weekend in Buffalo. The Minutemen claimed their fifth-straight and 13th overall title, while the Minutewomen put in a very strong performance, placing third. It was a tremendously successful meet on both sides as numerous school records fell. In addition, the following individuals were recognized:
Women's Most Outstanding Diver: Molly Elkins Women's Diving Coach of the Year: Mandy Hixon Men's Most Outstanding Rookie: Chris Inglis Men's Most Outstanding Diver: Jason Cook Men's Co-Coach of the Year: Russ Yarworth Men's Diving Coach of the Year: Mandy Hixon
UMass basketball faces perhaps its stiffest test of the season as the three-time defending A-10 Champion Temple Owls comes to the Mullins Center for a huge contest on Wednesday night. Here are the previews.
Seniors Chase Langeraap and Doug Kublin will be the player guests on tonight's Hockey Radio Show at the Hangar. Be sure to join us to have some wings and talk hockey or listen online. UMass will face Maine in a pair of home games on Friday and Saturday. Friday night will be Fan Appreciation night, while Saturday will be Senior Night and Big Y Night. Fans with a Big Y card can get a $6 general admission ticket.
The Atlantic 10 coaches don't seem to love the current format of the league's conference tournament, which starts next week, but a better format with a 14-team field remained elusive. Read about in the Daily Hampshire Gazette: Atlantic 10 men's hoop tourney format could be stronger